Converting from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to the Mini-Mental State Examination-2.

OBJECTIVE: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination-2 (MMSE-2) are useful psychometric tests for cognitive screening. Many clinicians want to predict the MMSE-2 score based on the MoCA score. To facilitate the transition from the MoCA to the MMSE-2, this study developed a conversion method. METHODS: This study retrospectively examined the relationship between the MoCA and MMSE-2. Overall, 303 participants were evaluated. We produced a conversion table using the equipercentile equating method with log-linear smoothing. Then, we evaluated the reliability and accuracy of this algorithm to convert the MoCA to the MMSE-2. RESULTS: MoCA scores were converted to MMSE-2 scores according to a conversion table that achieved a reliability of 0.961 (intraclass correlation). The accuracy of this algorithm was 84.5% within 3 points difference from the raw score. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports a reliable and easy conversion algorithm for transforming MoCA scores into converted MMSE-2 scores. This method will greatly enhance the utility of existing cognitive data in clinical and research settings.

Mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and cognitive dysfunction screening using machine learning.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a machine learning algorithm to identify cognitive dysfunction based on neuropsychological screening test results. METHODS: This retrospective study included 955 participants: 341 participants with dementia (dementia), 333 participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 341 participants who were cognitively healthy. All participants underwent evaluations including the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Each participant's caregiver or informant was surveyed using the Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire at the same visit. Different machine learning algorithms were applied, and their overall accuracies, Cohen's kappa, receiver operating characteristic curves, and areas under the curve (AUCs) were calculated. RESULTS: The overall screening accuracies for MCI, dementia, and cognitive dysfunction (MCI or dementia) using a machine learning algorithm were approximately 67.8% to 93.5%, 96.8% to 99.9%, and 75.8% to 99.9%, respectively. Their kappa statistics ranged from 0.351 to 1.000. The AUCs of the machine learning models were statistically superior to those of the competing screening model. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a machine learning algorithm can be used as a supportive tool in the screening of MCI, dementia, and cognitive dysfunction.